Green Lake Piano in the Park

8/4/14 Platinum Carbon and Pilot Iroshizuku Fuyu-syogun inks, Pitt Artist Pen,
Zig markers, Caran d'Ache Museum water-soluble colored pencils, Canson XL
140 lb. paper

During my walk around Green Lake today, I spotted another Piano in the Park! This one looked like an old-fashioned robot with metallic arms and big blue hands made of utility gloves. (I’m not sure why, but the sides of the piano were painted with things like an ostrich and other birds. I suspect that more than one artist had a vision for this piano.)

A number of people stopped by to play it briefly. Heart and Soul seems to be the runaway favorite among casual piano players. Often it was kids banging around for a minute or two, like the girl in my sketch who was still draped in a towel from her swim like a caped superhero.

8/4/14 Pilot Iroshizuku Asa-Gao and Fuyu-syogun inks, Caran d'Ache
Museum water-soluble colored pencils

A young man was hovering around the piano as I finished that sketch, a bit hesitant. I walked a short distance away, and he sat down to play. I had the feeling he had played well at some point, but work or other obligations had kept him away from the keys, and he was rusty. He reminded me of all the people I’ve chatted with while out sketching – people who watch me sketch wistfully for a while and then tell me they “used to draw” at some time in their lives but haven’t in years or decades. It’s never too late, I tell them. Maybe this piano at Green Lake will inspire the young man to find a way to make time for playing again.

Maybe sketchbooks should be left in public places to inspire former sketchers, too.